Our 7-Day Paris Itinerary
As much as these Type-A travelers attempted to plan ahead, the City of Love had more than a few tricks up its sleeve to provide an absolutely magical experience…and (spoiler alert) kick our butts a few times. We entered into Paris following an already ambitious 8-day adventure through several cities along the Rhine River, so it was safe to say that we felt the intense push-and-pull of exhaustion vs. the excitement of being in our dream city for the first time upon our arrival.
As I’ve mentioned before, we thrive on planning a detailed itinerary based on research and recommendations from friends and YouTubers alike—and this has definitely served us well in getting to know the layout of a big, brand new city! However, this unique travel experience taught us a few hard lessons in letting go of our très American pace, and embracing the slow lifestyle of Parisian culture. It’s tempting to stuff your itinerary full with all of the “must-do’s” in Paris, but our biggest advice to anyone visiting for the first time would be to leave room in your itinerary to simply wander and follow Paris’ lead in whatever it has to offer you (even if that means lingering at an unplanned 2.5 hour lunch!) Plans will probably go awry, you might get turned around on the Metro or miss a reservation, but better for those things to happen in Paris than anywhere else, non?
Maybe it’s in poor-taste, but Peyton and I joked more than a few times that we entered into this trip acting like we were both dying of an incurable disease: wanting to see and do everything classic Paris in a limited window of time. Another spoiler alert: that isn’t the case for either of us.
We both hit a wall around the Day-3 point of our trip, and can both attest to the fact that our time in Paris became so much more relaxing and meaningful when we just let go, cancelled some plans, and enjoyed a bottle of champagne at our leisure on our hotel’s dreamy garden courtyard. (P.S. We stayed in the 5th Arr., or the Latin Quarter, and couldn’t recommend it enough!) We certainly stacked up a list of dozens of places we want to visit next time while taking in the city (because if you’re not already planning your next trip during your current one, you’re in the wrong city!), but we found the true magic of Paris in embracing the c’est la vie mentality. After that turning point, we found ourselves lost in conversation with the friendliest locals who extended hospitality and experiences we couldn’t dream up if we tried.
Although our itinerary was still ambitious, we left our trip feeling successful in finding the balance between sight-seeing and experiencing the more authentic side of Paris. So, when planning your own itinerary, don’t be afraid to build in time to slow down. Paris is so much more than monuments and museums—it’s truly the people that make it come alive!
With all that in mind, take a look at our 7-day Paris itinerary below, and let it inspire your own Parisian adventures!
Day One
Travel via train from Amsterdam to Paris (we used Omio to book this!)
Settle in at Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles
Wander around the Latin Quarter
See the famous steps from Midnight in Paris
Have a celebratory toast of deux coupes de champagne on Rue Mouffetard
Dinner at L’Epoque in the 5th Arr.
Rest up to hit the ground running tomorrow!
Day Two
Breakfast at Le Café Marly, overlooking the grounds of the Louvre
Take a few quick snaps at Palais Royal
Wander through the Jardins de Palais Royal (such a relaxing, beautiful escape from all the nearby buzz!)
Stop for a mid-morning coffee at Café Kitsuné
Lunch at Café L’Epoque in the 1st Arr. (We didn’t notice there were so many restaurants with the same names until this point!)
Walk through the Jardins des Tuileries
Visit Musée De l’Orangerie to see Monet’s water lillies (and so much more!)
Walk by Place de la Concorde to Place Vendôme (the best luxury shopping!)
Grab (yet another!) cappuccino at the somewhat secretive YSL coffee shop
Metro back to hotel to shower and change for dinner
Dinner at Maison Maison
Watch the sunset on the Seine
Day Three
Visit the Panthéon & Victor Hugo’s resting place
Walk to the 6th Arr.
Lunch at Le Procope
Enjoy the famous chocolat chaud at Les Deux Magots
Pick up a bottle of champagne to enjoy in our hotel courtyard
Metro to the 16th Arr.
Dinner at Bambini
Watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle at 10pm
Back to the hotel to rest up
Day Four
Wake up early for a day trip to Giverny
Wander la Maison de Claude Monet & the gardens
Lunch on-site at Giverny
Return around 2pm
Stop for a glass of rosé before a well-earned nap
Charcuterie dinner at Café Delmas in the 5th Arr.
After-dinner drinks and ice cream at local spots in the 5th
Day Five
Walk by the Arc de Triomphe & through the Champs-Élysées
Visit La Galerie Dior (maybe my all-time favorite experience!)
Shopping at Dior (a continuation of my all-time favorite experience!)
Pick up charcuterie & wine from Bellota-Bellota
Lunch picnic by the Seine
Visit Musée Rodin
Browse around Shakespeare & Co.
Stop at Odette for les choux à la crème (delicious cream puffs)
Shop at les bouquinistes de la Seine, and catch a view of Notre Dame
Cocktail hour at Gaston in the 5th Arr.
Pick up a casual dinner to-go from L'Île de Crète and a watch a movie at the hotel
Day Six
Metro to Île de la Cité
Visit Saint-Chapelle
Walk through the Île de la Cité flower market (a great place to pick up souvenirs!)
Vintage shopping in Le Marais
Lunch at Le Petit Marché
Walk through Place de Vosges
Back to the hotel to shower & change
Head out to explore Pigalle
Walk from Pigalle to Montmartre
Visit Halle Saint-Pierre bookstore
Walk or ride up the stairs to Sacré-Cœur
Visit La Maison Rose & Rue St. Vincent (a street that one of our favorite songs references!) for a photo opp
Enjoy a glass of wine while we soak up the scenery and wait for our dinner reservations
Dinner at Le Poulbot
A toast to our last night in Paris back at La Maison de Verlaine in the 5th Arr.
Day Seven
Grab a pain au chocolat & cappuccino to-go from La Contrascarpe
Taxi to the airport, and au revoir!
Bonus: Our Absolute Favorites
If you only do a few things in Paris, make sure to include these:
Dinner at Maison Maison
Wander through the Jardins de Palais Royal
Visit La Galerie Dior
Visit Musée Rodin
Enjoy the famous chocolat chaud at Les Deux Magots (touristy, but a “must” nonetheless!)
Dinner at Bambini (or any restaurant in their group!)
Vintage shopping in Le Marais (particularly along Rue de Rivoli)
Stop by La Maison de Verlaine for drinks in the 5th Arr.. Hemingway used to live above, and the owner is an absolute delight!
…and of course, stay at Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles! We cannot recommend it enough!
On Our List for Next Time…
The Louvre
Versailles
Girafe
Harry’s New York Bar
Paris-Prague Jazz Club
Prescription Cocktail Club
Ladurée
Musée Yves Saint Laurent
Musée D’Orsay
Musée Carnavalet
Musée Picasso
Le Train Bleu
The Hemingway Bar at The Ritz
